Brianna Turner, Karl Towns Jr. win top 2014 Gatorade awards

Videos by Scott Hargrove

HOLLYWOOD, Califonia — It started with All-Pro NFL running back Steven Jackson, who gave young athletes this piece of advice at the 2014 Gatorade Player of the Year ceremony Tuesday night.

"Stay humble and stay hungry," he told host Hannah Storm during the 12th-annual elegant and flashy affair at the Loews Hollywood Hotel.

Recent Manvel (Texas) graduate Brianna Turner, crowned the Female Athlete of the Year, echoed the same sentiments later.

"It's exactly what my mom always preached to me as well," said Turner, a Notre Dame signee. "Stay humble and hungry."

And if the credo wasn't made loud and clear enough, then Karl Towns Jr. hammered it home.

Moments after being named the overall Male Athlete of the Year, the 7-foot center from St. Joseph (Metuchen, N.J.) gave a moving, emotional and memorable speech about the humble, hungry lives of his parents. He also thanked his sister, teammates, coaches, his school, the fellow athletes of the year, along with Gatorade.

He told how his mother survived the impoverished land of her native Dominican Republic and how his father once spent their "life savings" to build a makeshift basketball court in the backyard.

"It wasn't even a full court," Towns said later. "He gathered as much cement and gravel as he could to make it. They sacrificed their lives so I could live out my dreams."

See photos from the event at the bottom of the story

It was largely a dream evening in La-La Land for 11 of the 12 Gatorade Players of the Year (male Track AOY Trentavis Friday had commitments at Florida State and couldn't attend), who Wednesday will attend the ESPYs.

Most of the AOYs said they have a strong desire to meet either LeBron James or host Drake, but Towns could barely focus on the professional sports awards. He was very much present on a terrific and touching moment.

The Kentucky signee said he was excited with the opportunity to rub shoulders with the game's elites at sports' version of the Academy Awards. But nothing was going to top this night, which featured barbs and presentations from sporting greats such as women's soccer legend Mia Hamm, NFL running backs Jackson and Eddie Lacy, NBA standouts Bradley Beal and Brandon Knight and U.S. Men's National Team star Omar Gonzalez.

"I just want to be there," Towns said of the ESPYs. "But frankly, no celebrity is going to make me as happy as I am today winning this award and experiencing all of this.

"When I heard my named called, I couldn't breathe. My head got real heavy. I just put my head down and thanked God that I was given this opportunity, that I was lucky enough that my hard work was recognized by Gatorade for not just being a great athlete, but a great student."

See preview of the event and bios of each of the 12 Athletes of the Year

A 3.50 student who donates time for autistic kids, cancer victims and inner-city youth, Towns is a stellar player too. He averaged 20.9 points, 13.4 rebounds and 6.2 blocks per game for the 30-2 Falcons last year.

He beat out a star-studded group that featured Friday, the national 100-meter record holder, first-round baseball signee Justus Sheffield, undefeated cross country champion Grant Fisher, the nation's top-ranked defensive tackle Andrew Brown and soccer phenom Abu Danlad.

"You just don't expect to win an award like this, especially with guys so talented like Justus and Andrew and the rest of the guys," Towns said.

Turner was even more surprised. "I was speechless," she said. "I couldn't even get the words out how grateful I am."

The coveted Gatorade award was the red ribbon on a remarkable senior season for the 6-3 forward, who was named the MVP of the McDonald's All-American game. She averaged 20.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 3.9 blocks and 3.7 steals per game for the 38-2 Mavericks.

The Notre Dame-bound standout also had 17 points and 17 rebounds leading Manvel to a shocking upset of Duncanville 58-53 in the state 5A finals. Duncanville entered the game No. 1 in the country and the winner of 105 straight games.

Turner beat out a versatile and talented group led by two record-breaking track and field athletes Raven Saunders and Alexa Efraimson (also a cross country runner), soccer standout Katie Cousins, volleyball setting sensation Alexa Filley and softball hurler Taylor McQuillin.

"(Winning tonight) and (beating Duncanville) were two really unbelievable moments," Turner said. "(Duncanville) was such a great team with such a great coach and they had been there before. They had so many fans. They were ready but we just found a way to beat them."

Asked how she was able to accomplish so much in one season, Turner said: "I guess I must be doing something right."

Towns said winning the award was overwhelming, though he didn't need the recognition to be thankful.

"I treasure each day I can lace up some shoes to play basketball," he said.


Look for more videos and stories from this event later in the week.